The 36th Sanwo-Olu/Ajegunle Mock Nations Cup will hold between January 7 and February 19 in Ajegunle, Lagos State, it has been learnt.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Senior Special Assistant on Sports, Anthony Adeboye, and Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Oluwatoyin Gafar, who addressed reporters, said Governor Sanwo-Olu had invested so much in the sports sector because he was committed to sports and youth development.
According to Gafar, the government is developing nine sports facilities simultaneously across the state, which will be completed before the end of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s first term.
He said the facilities would engage and revitalise the youth.
Adeboye said Governor Sanwo-Olu’s involvement in the competition shows his commitment to sport and youth development, adding that the governor would be present to watch the football finals on February 19.
A member of the organising committee, AbdoulBaq Balogun, said he is involved in the initiative because it is about his community and he is passionate about his community and youth development.
He said: “The inspiration is from the governor, who is committed to seeing the fulfilment and growth of the young ones. For us in Ajegunle, what we are known for is entertainment and sports, and the governor dedicated the fifth pillar of this administration’s THEMES development agenda to entertainment, tourism and sports.
“I am part of this not only because it is my community, but also because the project aligns with the vision of the governor. We want to see things going and growing well in Ajegunle. And that is why we want to see a competition that was handed to us by our forebears, about 36 years ago, grow so we can also hand it over to the next generation to continue the tradition.”
According to Balogun, 42 teams adopting different names of African countries would participate in this year’s edition.
Winner of the last edition, Angola, got N500,000, while the first and second runners-up, Libya and Benin Republic, got N300,000 and N200,000.
